


An Accidental Star

by ForgiverSign



Category: Suikoden, Suikoden II
Genre: F/F, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-21
Updated: 2016-11-21
Packaged: 2018-09-01 06:51:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8613943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ForgiverSign/pseuds/ForgiverSign
Summary: The tale of Ariel, an apprentice Runemistress from Muse, as she gets swept up in the Dunan Unification War. Action, drama and romance ensue. - True to the events of Suikoden II with a couple of liberties taken, multiple pairings along the way, both explicit and implied.





	1. Hello, Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: This story grew from a dream I had. The main character and her family belong to me; pretty much everything else belongs to Konami. I've stayed as true to the story of Suikoden 2 as possible, minor alterations to scenes down the line, but nothing that affects the overall plot. Feedback welcomed and encouraged, as it may just affect where this whole thing goes :)

"Thanks!" Ariel called over her shoulder as she skipped down the steps of Millian's Armour Emporium.

I think that's everything, she thought, digging a hand into her skirt pocket to find the list. After checking everything off, she shouldered her bag and began the walk back to the rune shop on the other side of town.

The weather had been hot in Muse lately, but a refreshing breeze now blew through the bustling streets. Ariel breathed it in, glad for the time out in the open air. Working in her family's shop didn't offer a lot of sunshine, so she seized the opportunity to get out when she could. People greeted her with warm smiles as she passed. Muse born and bred, she was a familiar face to the locals, though the number of strangers in the city was growing by the day. People were flooding in from the eastern villages and rumours of an attack by the Highland Army were circulating throughout Muse. Ariel didn't understand, as the citizens had been celebrating a peace treaty that had just been signed between Highland and the City State of Jowston. Surely things couldn't have turned around so quickly?

She was puzzling over this when out of the corner of her eye she glimpsed a dark figure rushing towards her. Before she could avoid it, they collided, and she was knocked to the ground.

"Ow!" she winced, looking down at her grazed elbow.

"Watch where you're going!" she called out to the black robed man dashing down the road.

He showed no signs of slowing down. He didn't even turn his head.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Ariel looked up to see a brawny man holding out his hand. She took it, and he hauled her to her feet with ease.

"Thank you, sir," she smiled.

"No problem," he grinned, running a hand through his tousled black hair.

"Here you are."

Ariel turned to see a second man standing on her other side. He was dressed head to toe in shades of blue and black. His messy light brown hair was managed with an indigo bandana, keeping it from obscuring his handsome features.

You can stop staring now, Ariel's inner voice advised her.

"Pardon?" she asked finally.

"Your bag," he replied, "you um, dropped it?"

"Oh right. Thank you," she said, giving herself a mental kick as she saw her bag being held out to her.

She took it with an embarrassed smile, which to her relief, he returned.

Wincing again, turning her arm to examine the damage to her elbow. It was bleeding slightly, but wasn't serious.

"Do you have far to walk?" the man in blue asked.

Ariel shook her head and gestured toward one of the side streets.

"Just to the Rune Shop down there."

"Man, people need to watch where they're going," the bigger man said.

"It's Muse," Ariel replied with a shrug, "it's always busy like this, especially lately..."

"Yeah, and it's about to get worse," he said quietly.

His face tightened as he turned to his companion.

"Anyway, we gotta go. Can't keep those official types waiting, you know."

"You're right," the one in blue said, turning to Ariel, "take care on your trip home."

"I will, thank you."

With a quick nod they both turned and headed up the road toward the city hall. Ariel watched them go, wondering what business they had with 'official types'.

"Hey, did that guy in the cloak look familiar to you?" asked the black haired man.

"I didn't see him, sorry," replied the man in blue.

"Yeah, I bet you didn't..." he snorted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the man in blue asked, but his companion just laughed.

Their squabbling faded into the background noise of Muse City, and Ariel headed down the side street towards her family's shop. She didn't like the way things were going at the moment, with refugees coming into the city, rumours flying about the Highland Army and people selling their valuables for armour. The sombre look on that stranger's face as he thought about the future stuck in Ariel's mind. Her shared look and smile with a handsome stranger did nothing to lift her sinking spirits.


	2. Playing Along

Chapter Two: Playing Along

The item shop was busy when Ariel walked in. The rumours spreading around the city were causing people to stock up on medicine and equipment. She'd heard of people suddenly planning trips away, selling their possessions to fund their journeys or even just to have money to bribe soldiers with. There were, of course, people who didn't believe these rumours at all, despite the city's swelling population of refugees.

"Woah," said her sister Saffron, coming through the door behind her.

"Busier than I thought," said Ariel, "this might take a while."

"Does that mean I can look around?" Saffron asked, giving Ariel a cheeky smile.

"We're here on business, Saff," Ariel replied, "And the sign on the shop door says 'back in ten minutes."

"Aw, c'mon Ari..." Saffron bright green eyes pleaded with Ariel's matching ones.

"Yeah, okay," Ariel laughed, "but we're leaving as soon as I've got our order."

Saffron grinned and headed straight to the jewellery shelf. Ariel smiled and made her way to the counter. A couple of people turned their heads in her direction, which was normal, especially if they weren't from Muse. Runemaster Zenith had often enforced to Ariel and Saffron that as apprentice rune mistresses, it was part of their job to dress a certain way. The art of magic and runes was a mystery to the vast majority of the population, and it was good for business to maintain an air of exceptional elegance.

Her wardrobe consisted of light, flowing dresses, as well as a fair amount of jewellery. Today she wore a soft pink dress, a couple of bracelets and her ever present circlet sat on her dark brown hair. Her hem line skimmed her ankles and allowed a glimpse of her simple sandals, ideal for the current climate. As the older of the two sisters, she conducted most of the business, while Saffron watched and learnt.

"Ah, Miss Ariel," the shopkeeper greeted her, "are you here for the crystals?"

"I am," Ariel replied with a smile.

"Thankfully!" he laughed, "you guys can sell them a lot quicker than I can."

The rune and item shops had an agreement, where the rune crystals sold to the item store were bought directly by Ariel's family. It was a mutually beneficial partnership, as the item shop got money for the runes they couldn't sell, and worked as a supplier for their rune shop. Ariel knew that the owner occasionally held onto the ones he knew he could sell for a higher price, but for the most part the stock was transferred to them.

"I've gotta warn you though," the owner continued, "there's a lot here. Hang on, I've packed it up for you."

He disappeared briefly into the back room, and returned with two wooden boxes. Ariel raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"You couldn't fit them into one box?" she asked.

He shook his head as he placed them on the counter.

"People are selling up everything lately..." he said before laughing, "but thankfully they're buying too. I'm doing a roaring trade in medicine!"

Ariel laughed too, but they shared a knowing look. It was obvious that trouble was brewing.

"Well, just put them down over there," Ariel smiled, "I'll go and find my dutiful assistant to help carry them."

Ariel turned her back on the counter and searched for her sister. She spotted her over the other side of the store, talking to a tall blond man. He was leaning casually against the shelf, and his eyes flicked up when Ariel approached.

"Ah, Ariel is it?" he asked with a grin.

"That's right," Ariel replied, giving him a puzzled look, "do I know you?"

"I was just asking about the pretty girl at the counter, and Miss Saffron here kindly filled me in," he explained.

Ariel blushed slightly. She was used to people looking at her, but usually put it down to the fact that her rune mistress attire made her stand out. Fortunately, this was often the reason men decided not to approach her. Her profession was surrounded by mystery, which some people found intimidating. Although most just stared, the occasional man had the courage to flirt with her, a trait common in travellers passing through Muse.

"So kind of her to oblige," Ariel said, more to Saffron than to the stranger.

"He was actually telling me about the adventure he just had!" Saffron said, "it sounds so exciting!"

An adventurer, Ariel mused to herself, as I thought.

"What kind of adventures?" Ariel asked him.

"It's a frightening tale I'm afraid," he grinned, "I wouldn't want to scare you ladies."

"Well I'm sure you vanquished many monsters, and rescued a beautiful damsel in distress," Ariel said flatly.

"Vampires and zombies, to be exact," he said with a wink, "how did you know?"

"Intuition," she smiled, deciding that this man wasn't a threat to her or her sister.

"So you know who we are," Saffron piped up, "but who are you?"

"Oh whoops," he replied, "Nash Latkje, at your service."

"At our service, huh?" Saffron laughed and turned to Ariel, "do we need any such service?"

Ariel thought for a second. A slow smile spread across her face.

"A battler of vampires must be really strong, right?" she asked Nash.

He shrugged and said "I do my best."

"Well we've got a little problem..." she trailed off, twisting her fingers together nervously.

"Not vampires. I'm done with them for a lifetime..."

"No, no. It's just that we're only a couple of girls, we're not that strong."

He nodded, taking the opportunity to look them up and down.

"How can I help?" he said with yet another grin.

"There's a couple of boxes we need to get back to the rune shop, but they're really heavy..."

He blinked. This was obviously not what he expected.

"Well I uh..." he trailed off, glancing towards the door.

"Please, Mr. La...um...Nash?" Saffron joined in, a mischievous smile on her face, "it should be no problem for a vampire hunter like you."

"Heh. Always the pretty ones..." Nash sighed, "alright, where are they?"

Ariel led him to the counter and showed him the boxes. The store owner looked at Nash with a puzzled expression.

"Your dutiful assistant...?" he asked.

"Yes, he's very obedient," she replied, beaming at Nash as he picked up the boxes.

He rolled his eyes, but was unable to repress a smile as he followed Saffron out the door.

"So what's in the boxes?" Nash asked as they started down the street.

"Rune Crystals," Ariel replied, "we buy part of our stock from the item store."

"So I'm carrying a box full of rocks?" he asked.

"Pretty much," Saffron replied, "I'm glad I don't have to carry them, there's a lot more than usual..."

"Yet still lighter than the last load I carried..." Nash muttered.

"Everyone's selling," Ariel said softly.

"Yeah. I hear the appraisers next door has been full of customers," Saffron added, "do you think that it's related?"

Ariel thought back to the men who had helped her up the previous day. 'It's about to get worse', one of them had said.  
"I'm sure of it," she said.

"I don't get it," Saffron replied, "I mean, I know rumours are flying, but we'll be fine. Right?"

A glance at Nash's face told Ariel otherwise. How was it that all of these travellers knew more about what was happening than the people who lived in Muse?

"Saff... It's no coincidence that people are selling their valuables, or suddenly planning trips away. Or that there are so many more people in Muse lately. We can't deny something's happening."

Ariel's voice started off shakily, but the more she said, the more she realised it was true. Her gazed travelled down to her feet, her sandals clapping softly against the paving stones.

"Like Hayden?" Saffron inquired, "his family is heading to South Window to visit their relatives."

Ariel squeezed her eyes shut, and rubbed her forehead. She really didn't want to be thinking about this.

"They don't have relatives in South Window..." she said slowly.

"What?" came the immediate reply.

"They don't," Ariel repeated, "They used to though. His mother's brother was a soldier there. He died two or three years ago."

"But, why would they..." Saffron trailed off.

"Well," Nash joined the conversation, "people get scared. But they'll use any excuse to not look it."

The girls nodded in agreement and the trio continued walking in silence. Ariel had had a lot going through her mind over the last few days, and until then she couldn't put her thoughts into words.

"Saff?" she said finally.

"Yeah?"

"You know how we've been talking about you studying runes at the Greenhill Academy?" Ariel ventured tentatively, "maybe...maybe now would be a good time to do it."

"What?" Saffron exclaimed, "are you trying to send me away?"

"For your own good, Saff," Ariel sighed, wishing she'd kept her mouth shut, "it's been on the cards for a while, why not let it be now?"

"What about you then?" Saffron retorted.

"I'm too old, Saff," Ariel replied, "you're 17, the right age to start. We shouldn't leave it that much longer, actually..."

There was a long silence as they turned the last corner. Ariel glanced at Nash, who gave her a sympathetic look.

"She's got a point y'know," he said to Saffron, "you're lucky to have such a clever big sis."

"Yeah but..." Saffron couldn't find the words.

Ariel gave Nash a smile. Even though it was none of his business, it was good to know he was trying to help. They arrived at the front of the rune shop, and she held the door open for him.

He crossed the room quickly and dropped the boxes onto the counter.

"Bit heavy for you?" Ariel teased.

"Not at all," Nash huffed, but didn't try to disguise his fatigue.

He stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders back, dispelling any stiffness from the journey.

"Anything else, milady?" he asked with a smirk.

Knowing he wasn't really offering to help again, Ariel smiled at him.

"That will be all," she replied playfully.

"Well then," his face brightened, "it's been a pleasure."

He took Ariel's hand and kissed it, before heading back towards the door. He tipped an imaginary hat to Saffron as he made his exit.

After he was gone, the girls just stared at each other. Ariel was beginning to think her sister was angry about what she had said about Greenhill, but Saffron eventually broke the silence.

"Did you just swindle a handsome stranger into carrying our order all the way home?" she asked.

"Yeah," replied Ariel, a slow smile spreading across her face, "I think I did!"

They both started laughing, and although there was a lot they needed to discuss, but at least for now, everything was okay.


	3. Waiting for my Real Life to Begin

"It's just awkward to carry around everywhere," Saffron complained.

"A staff focuses your power, Saff," Ariel replied, "it can mean the difference between the customer gaining power or losing a hand."

"Yeah, I know, I know..." came the bored reply.

They sat at the table in towards the back of the store, sorting through the runes from the item shop. There were a handful of customers in the store, although most just seemed to be browsing. Ariel often tried to teach Saffron about the finer points of rune craft, but her sister didn't seem to take it seriously. She couldn't help but think that with Saffron's attention span, she'd need to have a staff tied to her hand at all times.

Perhaps both hands, Ariel thought to herself, watching her sister's gaze wander around the store.  
A customer approached them and Ariel picked up her staff. It was a simple, wooden piece, with a wind rune crystal embedded onto the end. It wasn't anything fancy, but did the job. She didn't need it, however; the customer had just come to buy a gift.

"Right. Rune affinities," she said to Saffron as she returned to her seat.

"Make people better at using certain kinds of runes over others," answered Saffron, "like why you're more talented with the water rune than wind."

"Exactly!" Ariel said, before adding with a wink, "and it's also why we don't give you a fire rune."

Saffron's triumphant grin quickly morphed into a scowl.

"No fair, Ari!" she retorted, "I'm not going to burn down a village or anything!"

"Saffron!" Ari exclaimed in surprise.

She looked around at the customers with an apprehensive expression. One woman in particular was giving her sister a fierce glare. The recent destruction of the eastern villages had set the city on edge - even more so than before. 

Saffron's jade eyes crinkled into a puzzled expression, only to widened again as she clapped a hand over her mouth. The woman sneered at her and left, the door swinging shut with a bang.

"I didn't mean... I forgot! I'm sorry!" Saffron stuttered.

"Don't worry, Saff," Ariel sighed, watching the other two customers walk out the door, "it's just about closing time anyway."

It was true. Business had been slow lately, with everyone wanting to sell instead of buy. Saffron's head was on the table as Ariel gathered the crystals from the table.

"You okay there?" she asked.

"You're definitely sending me to Greenhill now aren't you?" came the muffled response.

"Hey now," Ariel said softly, "it's not like it would be a bad thing. You'd get training I never had!"

Saffron looked up, her cheerful smile slowly returning.

"Oh come on sis, it's not my fault you got old!" she teased.

"I'm not!" Ariel argued, "I'm only twenty-two!"

"Ancient," Saffron said dismissively.

"Hey!" Ariel shot back, but she was laughing.

Saffron never stayed upset for long, a quality Ariel found not only admirable, but a bit of a relief. Saffron's cheerfulness was infectious, and Ariel was glad her younger sister was easy to be around. Although she occasionally got in trouble, Saffron was never one to let a bad mood linger.

"Excuse me?" a voice came from the doorway, "are you open?"

Ariel looked up to see the face of a young man, peering around the door.

"Just in time," she smiled at him, "come in."

He stepped in and closed the door behind him. Ariel estimated that he was about Saffron's age.

"How can we help?" Ariel asked him.

"Well," he fidgeted, running a hand through his tied blond hair, "I'm just wondering about runes..."

"You're in the right place!" Saffron piped up, getting out of her chair.

"Haha...yeah," he laughed half-heartedly.

"So what do you wanna know?" Saffron walked towards him, "We've got a good range of runes just in today!"

"Oh, well I'm not buying, exactly," he said with a nervous smile, "I just kind of want to know...about some."

"Well the Water rune is great for healing magic," Saffron began, "especially if you're travelling with a group. Ari here has one on her right hand."

Ariel gave him a small wave, and let Saffron continue talking. Her sister had occasional surges of enthusiasm for rune craft, usually when she was around someone she wanted to impress. Ariel couldn't help but smile at her sister's attempts to show her knowledge.

"Oh, no," the customer stopped her, "I want to ask about rarer runes."

"Oh. Okay," Saffron paused for a second, "well we haven't quite finished identifying all the runes that have come in, so there could be some in there."

She gestured to the boxes they had collected from the item store.

"Actually," he said, smiling down at Saffron, "I'd just like to hear about any rare runes in the area. Like if there are any legends...?"

"Are you an adventurer?" Saffron asked him, eyes widening.

Ariel barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. Two blond-haired adventurers in one day, she thought, Saff won't shut up for weeks...

"Kind of," the young man explained, "I guess adventures just find me..."

He trailed off, and Ariel wondered if there was more to the story. Saffron was on the case though, her fascination taking over.

"Sounds exciting!" she grinned at him, "adventures avoid me."

"Well maybe that's not such a bad thing," he said softly, "not all adventures are good, you know. Anyway, about those runes...?"

Saffron gave Ariel a questioning look.

"Don't ask me," Ariel shrugged, "but maybe Zen's gone some stories."

"Right!" said Saffron before turning back to the customer, "I'll go get Runemaster Zenith, he's bound to know some cool stuff!"

She dashed out the side door and up the stairs.

"Cool stuff?" the customer murmured.

He didn't browse, but waited in exactly the same spot. He stood with his hands behind his back, almost like a soldier waiting for his commander. Ariel wondered if he was one of the mercenary soldiers she had heard about. They had supposedly arrived with the rest of the eastern villagers, but were here to protect the citizens of Muse.

"New in town?" she asked him.

He nodded.

"Very."

"What do you think of it so far?"

"The people here..." he paused for a few moments, "they're all very helpful..."

Ariel laughed, knowing that the residents of the bustling city were often quite the opposite.

"If you're talking about my sister there, she'd be quite pleased to hear it."

"Feel free to pass it on then," he smiled.

"I'll do that, Mr...?"

"Jowy," he answered quietly.

"I'll let her know," Ariel replied, and after a few seconds silence she continued, "What would you want to know about runes for, Jowy? Another adventure?"

He fidgeted nervously, his gaze flicking about the shelves, but never in Ariel's direction. He didn't seem to realise she was waiting for a reply, but eventually he spoke.

"Well, I just kind of, well, wanted to know...more about them," he said, his voice shaking slightly. Knowing she should probably drop the subject, Ariel tried one final push.

"Any particular rune in mind?"

"Well..." Jowy began, "no. Not really. Actually I'm not sure what I should ask... Perhaps I should just let you close up then..."

Ariel looked at him quizzically as he turned to leave. Just before he stepped out the door he turned back to her.

"Thank you for your time," he said simply, as he gave a quick bow.

As he did so, Ariel could have sworn she saw something dark on the back of his hand. Was it a rune? She didn't recognise it, but then again, she was sitting on the other side of the room.

"Weird kid," she said to herself, "but at least he's got manners."

She crossed the room to lock the door, eager to close the shop for the day. She let out a yawn, stretching her arms above her head. Loud thudding reverberated through the wall to her right, and Saffron burst in from the side door.

"Zen's on his way," she told Ariel, "Wait. Where's that guy?"

"He left," Ariel shrugged, "he sure was acting strange."

Saffron let out a long sigh.

"Aw, I thought he was cute..."

"I know you did," Ariel laughed, "but he said you were very helpful?"

"Now that, is music to my ears," came the voice of the Runemaster.

"Hey!" Saffron protested.

"Sorry Uncle," Ariel cut in, "the customer left. And I've closed the store."

"That's quite all right," Zenith replied, "I needed to talk to you girls anyway."

The two girls glanced at each other before turning to face their uncle. Ariel couldn't help but wonder if their talk about Greenhill had been some kind of omen.

"Things are going to change here in Muse, very soon," he began in a soft voice, "and as of tomorrow, all of the soldiers will be equipping themselves for battle. All of Muse is pulsing to the beat of war."

Well that's dramatic, Ariel thought, he's making this sound very frightening, it must not be just rumours anymore.

"I've offered the services of our two finest rune apprentices to assist Muse's forces in this time of need."

Saffron let out a gasp.

"You're asking us to fight!" she exclaimed.

"No, no, Saffron. You two be helping the soldiers prepare for battle, equipping them with runes, scrolls and the like."

"Oh right," she said, relieved, "so I'll be attaching runes?"

"Well, no," he replied, "Ariel will be acting Runemistress, I'll need you to assist her with the scrolls."

"Ugh, why doesn't anyone think I can do it?" Saffron seethed, "neither of you believe I've learnt anything!"

"What about the shop?" Ariel asked, ignoring Saffron's rant.

"I was running this shop long before you could swing a staff, missy," her uncle retorted.

"This is just great," Saffron huffed.

Ariel watched her uncle face soften. She knew he'd often struggled to deal with the two girls, especially Saffron's wild personality. Ariel herself hadn't been the easiest to manage at Saffron's age either.

"Saffron," he began, he always used their full names, "you're going to become a fine Runemistress someday. I see a lot of my sister in you."

Saffron couldn't help but smile at the mention of their mother.

"But you need training," Zenith continued, "work like this will be good experience for you."

"Okaaaay," Saffron sighed.

Ariel's memories of her mother were hazy, but it always made her smile when she thought of Saffron being like her. She didn't remember her mother acting like Saffron at all, but then again, Zenith knew her when she was growing up.

"Does this mean we'll be hanging out with soldiers?" Saffron exclaimed, suddenly excited.

Ariel watched her uncle's hands cover his ears as he headed through the side door. She grinned at her sister's outburst. Tomorrow would be an interesting day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scene is set, thing are about to get serious! Feedback welcome and appreciated :)


	4. Walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's my ideas about how rune attaching works, as we never actually saw what happens over the counter at a rune shop! I'm sure you all know what's about to happen, hope you can indulge me through one more quick chapter of development :)

There were soldiers everywhere. They were a mixture of Muse troops, volunteers, and mercenaries from the fortress to the east. Although some were still denying the threat to Muse, Ariel was certain the Highland army was on its way. She trusted the Muse officials, Lady Anabelle in particular. They had spoken on a few occasions, mostly just exchanging pleasantries, but she knew that Anabelle had a good head on her shoulders, and believed she would lead Muse to defend against the Highland threat. And Ariel was determined to help in any way she could.

"You okay there, miss?"

She looked up to see a soldier standing on the other side of the makeshift counter. Lost in thought, Ariel hadn't noticed his approach.

"I'm sorry," she said to him, tucking a long dark lock behind her ear, "I'm fine, I was just thinking. Can I help you?"

"That's okay, there are a lot of people 'just thinking' at the moment," he said, before holding out a fire crystal, "I just need this rune attached."

"Of course," Ariel replied.

He dropped the crystal into her open palm, and placed his hand on top of it. Ariel pointed her staff towards the crystal, and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, gripping her staff with her mind as well as her hand. As she slowly let the air escape her lips, she let her magic stream through her staff. The current flowed through the soldier's hand, the crystal, and back into Ariel's palm.

Meld, she commanded silently.

She felt the crystal's power being drawn up into his hand, and it began to soften. As it continued to be absorbed, the crystal started to fade. Their hands came together as it disappeared, and when nothing separated them but skin, Ariel took another deep breath. As she filled her lungs, she also withdrew her magic. She opened her eyes to the sight of the soldier, wide-eyed at the appearance of his new rune. Where there used to be smooth skin, a red fire symbol now shone on the back of his hand.

"All done," she said finally, reclaiming her hand from beneath his.

"That looks great," he marvelled, holding it up to the light.

"The rune will stay visible while my magic lingers," Ariel explained, "soon it'll settle and will only be visible when you use your power."

"Thanks," he said, and before he turned to leave, he added, "and try not to think about it too much. We'll keep Muse safe."

She smiled as he retreated into the crowd, but it faded quickly. Her eyes roamed the faces of the soldiers in the crowd, their gloomy expressions making her heart heavy.

So this is war, she thought to herself.

"Depressing huh?"

Saffron appeared out of the swarm.

"Yeah, a little," Ariel replied, "how're you doing?"

Saffron threw up her arms in an exaggerated shrug.

"I thought hanging out with soldiers was gonna be fun, but everyone's so down!"

"Saff, they're going into battle."

"Yeah but, have they heard of morale? Seriously."

Ariel raised her eyebrows. She knew her sister wasn't the most perceptive, but Ariel often wondered at times like this if she just chose not to think things through.

"Although some of them are trying too hard to act unafraid," Saffron continued, "ugh, like these guys."

Ariel turned her head to see a small group of soldiers coming towards them.

"I need some fire scrolls, darlin'," the first man said to them.

"Of course," Ariel replied, "Saffron, if you could?"

"Got it," Saffron responded.

Saffron helped him with the scrolls and Ariel assisted the next soldier, who needed a rune attached. She closed her eyes and began channelling her magic. When the procedure was done, she opened her eyes again. The soldier's new lightning rune was shining, just as her water one was. He wasn't staring at the rune like the previous soldier, but instead he was looking at her face.

"Maybe we could use those healing hands after the battle?" he said with a grin.

She blushed and looked down at her hands.

"Uh, I don't think so..." she said to the countertop.

The soldier just shrugged and walked away, along with the rest of his group.

"Wow Ari," Saffron said, "way to really stand up to him..."

Ariel glared at her, no humour in her emerald eyes.

"I was just wondering what happened to the girl from yesterday, who made a handsome stranger carry our boxes all the way home," Saffron continued.

"I don't know, Saff," Ariel said with a shrug, "I was just comfortable with him for some reason. And I saw an opportunity. Did you want to carry those boxes?"

"An opportunity, huh?" her sister laughed, "of course I didn't! But I couldn't have just fluttered my eyelashes and got him to do it for me!"

"I did not flutter my eyelashes, thank you very much," Ariel retorted, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a smile.

"Sure," Saffron teased, "so you don't see any 'opportunities' here then?"

"No, Saff," Ariel replied, looking down at her hands, not at the crowd of soldiers.

"Oooh how about him!" Saffron exclaimed.

Her hand shot up and Ariel followed her pointing finger until her eyes came to rest on the face of a handsome man, a blue bandana marking him out in the crowd. Ariel cocked her head to the side, trying to recall who he reminded her of.

"I've seen him before" she gasped as she recognised him as one of the men who helped her in the street the other day.

She quickly put her hand on Saffron's outstretched arm and tried to pull it down.

"Oh? Where?" Saffron laughed as she resisted Ariel's attack, "in your dreeeams?"

"Saff!" Ariel couldn't help but laugh as the struggled against each other.

Eventually, Saffron held her hands up in surrender. A quick glance around told the girls that their tussle had not gone unnoticed, a number of soldiers were looking their way. Ariel's gaze went immediately to the man blue bandana. Their eyes met for a moment, before she began to blush furiously and quickly attempted to make herself look busy. Saffron let out an unsubtle snort of suppressed laughter. Ariel covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes gave her laughter away, and soon enough both girls dissolved into a fit of giggles.


	5. Run

The battle had been going on for days. The Muse soldiers had managed to stave off the Highland assault, and reinforcements were on the way. The sun had set, but Ariel knew she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon. Upstairs from the Rune Shop, she sat the table with Saffron, playing dice to pass the time.

Suddenly, the door burst open and their uncle rushed into the room. He was carrying a travel pack in each hand, a panicked expression on his face.

"The Highland Army is here," he said as he flung a bag at each of the girls.

"What?" Saffron exclaimed, "How?"

"There's no time to explain, Saffron," Zenith replied, "they're within the walls. If there was ever a time to run, it's now."

Ariel looked down at the pack held in her shaking hands. It was full, no doubt with supplies for a journey. This wasn't something her uncle had just lying around.

"An escape plan? When did you put these together?" she asked.

"I've been preparing them over the last few days," Zenith replied quickly, "I had hoped to never have to give them to you. But the enemy in the city as we speak, you may be able to escape in the chaos of the-"

"What about you?" Ariel interrupted.

"I'm an old Runemaster. My life is here," he replied, his eyes pleading with Ariel's as he continued, "You need to go! An occupied city is no place for you two girls. Ariel, I need you to look after your sister, and RUN."

Her eye's prickled, but Ariel fought back the tears. Throwing her arms through the straps of the pack, she crossed the room and picked up her staff.

"Saff," she said to her sister, "he's right, we have to go."

"O-okay," Saffron stuttered, and copied Ariel's actions.

Saffron started towards the door, but turned and ran back to her uncle, throwing her arms around his neck.

"I know," Ariel heard him say softly to her, before she broke away and dashed out into the hall.

Ariel quickly rushed over to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Look after your sister," he said to her, "and yourself."

"I will," she replied simply, before following her sister out the door.

Ariel eased the front door open, checking for soldiers. When she saw nothing but dark streets, she and her sister slipped out into the darkness.

"We've got to get to the gate," Ariel whispered, "but we should avoid the main road."

They padded softly down one of the back streets, which led along the city wall, past the inn and eventually reached the main gate. By now they could hear the sound of clashing steel, yells and... footsteps. The pair were passing through one of the stairwells that led under a building, with nowhere to hide but in the shadow of the building above. Ariel held an arm out, flattening herself and her sister against the stone wall. After a few moments, three Highland soldiers rushed past, their boots clomping up the stone steps and past the girls, standing frozen in the darkness. 

Once their footsteps faded, Ariel let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. They had been lucky. The underpass had provided enough shadow for them to hide in, and the soldiers hadn't been carrying a torch. But that was the only alcove of its kind on this route.

We won't catch a break like that again, Ariel thought as she beckoned her sister out of their hiding place.

They followed the wall, the soft padding of their light sandals a blessing compared to the sound of the soldiers boots. At least we'll hear them coming, Ariel thought. She felt a hand close around her wrist, but it was only Saffron. She squeezed her sister's hand.

"Nearly there," she whispered back to her, and Saffron returned the squeeze.

There's the gate, she told herself as they rounded the corner, not far now.

"Hey you!"

She whirled around to see two soldiers facing them, swords drawn. She dropped her sister's hand and gripped her staff.

"We're gonna have to fight, Saff," she said, her voice shaking.

"R-right..."

A soldier started towards them and Ariel swept her staff in a wide arc in front of her. Blue icicles appeared, shielding her and her sister from their view. Saffron stood with both hands on her staff, her wind rune shining through the darkness. A sword protruded through Ariel's barrier, and the icicles began to fall away, shattering as they hit the ground. She panicked, swinging her staff wildly towards the point where the sword broke through. It connected with a sickening crack, and her ice barrier faded to reveal two unconscious soldiers on the ground. Ariel's staff had felled the first, and the pink mist dissipating around the second one told her that Saffron's sleep spell had worked.

"Right," Ariel said quickly, trying to sound calm, "we need to go."

She could hear the blood pumping in her ears as the two ran the short distance to the gate.

"Ari!" Saffron yelped as she tripped and fell to the ground.

Ariel turned to look back and saw soldiers descending on her sister.

"Saff!" she yelled, skidding to a halt.

With a swing of her staff, she cast another ice barrier, separating the soldiers from her sister. She knew it wouldn't hold them back - it was designed to deflect magic - but she hoped it would slow them down. They broke through it almost instantly, and Saffron had barely gotten to her feet before the first one grabbed her. She struggled, elbowing the man in the jaw. He threw her to the ground and gave her a swift kick.

Ariel was so worried about her sister, she didn't notice the soldiers were coming towards her as well.

"Don't just stand there!"

A man's voice sounded from over her shoulder. She barely had time to turn before he was rushing past her towards the soldiers. He met the first one with a hefty kick, knocking him back and onto the ground. His dark hair whirled as he turned to another, their swords meeting with a clash.

"Always getting involved!"

Ariel heard another voice as a blue blur sped past her. The two men fought back to back, and in the back of her mind Ariel recognised them as the two men from the street a few days back. But for now she was focused on her sister.

Saffron managed to get a hand to her staff and swung it at the legs of the closest soldier. It thudded against the back of his knees, forcing him to fall forwards. Ariel rushed towards her, but another soldier blocked her path. She swung her staff, which he blocked easily with his sword.

"Ari!" she heard Saffron scream.

Over her attacker's shoulder she saw her sister being dragged away by a group of soldiers. While she was distracted, her attacker's armoured hand cuffed her heavily on the side of the head. She staggered, dazed, and he pulled back his sword arm. She willed her limbs to move but her head was still reeling from the impact. She managed to hold up her staff to block his blow, but the wood splintered and could only slow his strike. Her staff snapped and she gasped in pain as the sword caught her forearm. She lost her balance, stumbling backward and onto the ground. She hit the paving stones with a thud, sitting up as quickly as possible to prepare for the next attack.

But the soldier didn't get another swing. Ariel heard a strangled cry, but all she could see was the blue cloak of one of the strangers in front of her.

Pain shot up her arm as her body began to register her injury. Ariel held the wound up to the light coming onto the street.

Oh, blood, was all she could think for a few seconds.

Luckily she had practiced healing before, and the sight of blood didn't stop her for long. She held her hand over the cut, attempting to remain calm, calling on the power of her rune. A cool drop of water fell onto the wound, calming the fiery sensation coming from the cut. Once it had healed, she grabbed the two halves of her staff and leapt to her feet.

Saffron was further away than before, and there was a barrier of soldiers separating them. The two strangers were holding them off, but they were outnumbered.

If we could just get to Saffron, Ariel's thoughts screamed.

Suddenly, she was seized from behind, a sword pointed at her throat.

"Don't move, girl," the soldier ordered in her ear.

Ariel froze, though her mind was racing. She had no weapon or offensive magic to defend herself with. Her hands began to ball into fists when she realised she was still holding the two splintered halves of her staff. In her right hand she grasped the half with the crystal embedded on the end. She took a deep breath and swiftly brought it up over her left shoulder.

Her captor cried out and staggered backward, clutching his eye. Ariel whirled around, swinging at his face once more. It connected with a thud against his cheek. She looked up to see another four soldiers coming up behind him.

"We're surrounded!" she called out.

"Crap!" she heard one of them yell.

She looked over her shoulder to see the big, black haired man overpower a soldier. He struck the man a heavy blow using the hilt of his sword. The man in blue slashed at another soldier, who dodged, and backed off to a safe distance. The two men dashed towards Ariel.

"We've got to get to the gate," the man in blue said.

"No!" she cried "I need to save my sister!"

"I wish we could," he replied quickly, "but right now we're surrounded, and fighting towards her is fighting away from the gate."

"I promised to protect her!" she whimpered.

Ariel searched the dark street for Saffron, her eyes brimming with tears. But all she saw was soldiers. Time seemed to slow as the rational part of her brain caught up to the events around her. Realised her sister was unreachable, she let out a strangled howl of grief as she flung out her arm, summoning another barrier of ice. It was the largest yet, spanning the width of the street. The soldiers' path to them was blocked, as well as her path to Saffron.

"Time to go," the big man said, and rushed towards the soldiers between them and the gate.

He approached the first one at speed, sweeping his sword in an upwards arc, felling the man instantly.

"Always rushing in," the man in blue said through clenched teeth.

He held out his hand, a lightning rune shining through the darkness. A purple bolt of lightning flashed towards the incoming soldiers, sending three of them falling to the ground before it disappeared.

"Run!" he told Ariel, and she complied, dashing past the soldiers on the ground, still disorientated from the shock.

"Show off," she heard the big man say, as the two followed her out the gate.

There were no soldiers in sight, only a tree lined road leading into the blackness. She looked over her shoulder at the gates of Muse. The torches burned brightly on the walls, and the sounds of battle still flooded her ears.

"Come on!" one of the men said to her as they ran past.

Ariel took one last look at her home, her eyes burning with emotion, before she turned to run. Her feet pounded the earth as she fled, following the two strangers into the night.


	6. Anywhere But Here

She had never run so far, or so fast. Her lungs felt as if they were about to burst. Thin sandals did little to protect her feet as they pounded the dirt. A loose stone gave way under her foot and she was pitched forward into the dust.

All Ariel could manage was a quiet groan as she pushed herself up onto her knees. The dust beneath her fingers was the only indication that she was still on the road, the rest of her surroundings were coated in darkness. Over her shoulder, the lights of Muse glowed in the distance.

What am I doing? Ariel asked herself.

"What are you doing?" a man's voice echoed her thoughts.

The muffled sound of boots on dirt grew louder as he approached.

"I've got to go back," Ariel whispered, more to herself than a response to his question.

Her voice was soft despite the chaos inside her head.

"You can't," came a gruff reply, "you saw what was happening there."

"But my home," she wept, "my family are-"

"Viktor!" her cries were interrupted by the other man's call.

Ariel looked up. Her eyes had begun to adjust, and she could just make out the two figures in the darkness. The big, black haired man was standing over her, and with a swift movement, he hauled her to her feet. But her tired legs were not yet ready to stand. Her knees buckled, and she stumbled directly into the approaching man. He reacted quickly, catching her before she could fall again.

"We've got to go," he said, holding her steady while she regained her balance, "soon this place will be crawling with highland soldiers."

"My sister is back there!" Ariel cried, pulling herself away from his grasp, "Muse is my home! I cannot leave!"

"Muse is still standing," he argued, "you can come back when it's safe. Right now, there's nothing we can do."

"Right now?" she snapped, "how about before? When my sister was surrounded by soldiers?"

Ariel felt her throat tighten and her voice began to crack. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment when it reached her ears, but she couldn't control its wavering pitch.

"Shh!" he whispered harshly as he clapped a hand over her mouth.

Ariel struggled, but he held on tightly, dragging her backwards.

"Quiet!" he hissed in her ear, "someone's coming!"

She tried to cry out, but his gloved hand muffled the sound. The dirt under her feet became grass as he guided her from the road, seeking cover behind the line of trees. His heavy hand on her shoulder directed her to lower herself onto the ground. Only when they were positioned behind the bushes did he speak to her again.

"Be very, very quiet," he whispered to her, slowly removing his hand from her mouth.

Ariel didn't think she could cry out, even if she wanted to, she was frozen with fear. She faced away from the road, her back against a tree, and set her pack at her feet.

"Flik?" a whisper came through the night.

"Here," replied the man by Ariel's side.

The man named Viktor approached them, sneaking through the bushes before ducked down next to them.

"Highland troops," he told them, "headed for Muse."

Maybe they can take me home, Ariel thought, but the idea was quickly banished by her common sense. She had seen what the soldiers were doing there. The soft glow of torchlight began to creep along the road.

"No, Viktor," Flik said sternly.

"I didn't even…" Viktor began before trailing off.

She didn't know why he was being cautioned, but it was the same tone Ariel used when her sister was about to say something stupid.

The light came closer, and Ariel pressed her back harder against the bark of the tree. The three of them were motionless as Ariel silently prayed that there would not be another battle. Although they were hidden from the road, the orange glow filtered through gaps in the foliage, illuminating their faces. Ariel squeezed her eyes shut, as if blocking out light would make her invisible. She could hear the soldiers as they approached, their armour clanking with every footstep. She ordered herself to open her eyes, anxiously chewing her lower lip instead to keep her nerves in check. She looked to her right to see Viktor, frozen in place with a hand on the hilt of his sword. His eyes were on the road, and his expression unreadable. Her gaze shifted to her left, where the man in blue, Flik, was crouching next to her. Ariel expected to see the same look on his face as his companion's, but he looked puzzled. The soft glow from the soldiers' torches revealed his face set in a worried expression, his eyebrows close together and a small frown on his lips. His eyes were not focused on the passing soldiers, but on Ariel's face. Before she had time to think about it, the light passed behind a tree and they were once again in shadow. Slowly, the light faded, and after what seemed like an eternity, Viktor spoke.

"They're gone," he whispered, "we should go too."

Ariel was pulled up into a standing position by one of the men. She had lost count of how many times this had happened recently, and in the back of her mind she made a note to get herself up next time.

"So uh, my name is Viktor, and this is Flik."

Ariel tried to look at his face, but couldn't make it out in the dark.

"From the mercenary fortress, right?" she replied, before adding, "I'm Ariel."

"Yeah, you knew that?" Viktor asked.

"War is all anyone's talked about lately. You two are famous…"

She didn't know what else to say, so she shut her mouth. She took a deep breath, trying to process the situation she was in.

"Alright, let's move," Flik interrupted her thoughts, "we'll avoid the road from here."

"Where are we going?" Ariel asked.

"South. To Coronet," he replied, "from there we'll head across the lake."

"But those soldiers," she said, "they came up the southern road. Do you think Coronet is also…?"

She trailed off, unable to define what was happening to her home.

"Probably," Viktor answered, "but we can't head west. The Greenhill border will be heavily guarded. And we can't head east… Coronet's our only real chance."

"Yeah, but only if we hurry!" Flik growled, before turning towards their destination, "Come on!"


	7. Good Idea at the Time

After seemingly endless hours of travelling, the three came to the top of the final hill. Ariel let out a gasp of wonder as she took in the view. The white walls of Coronet partially obscured the waterfront, illuminated by the rising sun. The morning light bounced off the lake, creating a glistening frame for their destination. It seemed so peaceful, Ariel wondered if anywhere so serene could be occupied by the Highland army.

The answer came quickly as they followed the path down the hill. Soldiers in Highland uniforms were stationed at the town entrance.  
"Act natural," Flik cautioned her.

She looked at him in disbelief.

"Natural? After everything… that they've done to my home? … My family?" she asked, struggling to stop her voice from cracking as she uttered the last two words.  
"I know, but we want to be as inconspicuous as possible," he replied, before shifting his eyes to his friend, "You too, Viktor."

"Hey!" Viktor exclaimed, "I'm not the one who gets recognised everywhere!"

"That's not what I meant," Flik retorted, "it doesn't mean you're not conspicuous."

"Hmph. Whatever… Blue Thunder."

"Ugh."

Ariel rolled her eyes, contemplating the consequences of turning them over to the Highland army herself. It had taken her a while to figure out that the two were actually friends. Their constant mockery of each other was a form of affection, in much the same way as she teased her sister.

Saffron…

A lump formed in her throat almost instantly. Although the journey from Muse had given her time to stave off her disbelief, Ariel still didn't fully understand what was happening. Getting across the lake was her first obstacle. After that, she had no real plan.

I'll just lie low in Kuskus, she thought, perhaps the item shop needs an assistant.

The trio slowed as they approached the entrance to the town. There was no gate, only two trees to frame the point where the dirt path turned into paved stone. Ariel gripped the strap of her pack and she edged closer to her companions. The soldiers eyed them with suspicion, but made no move to stop them. Ariel briefly caught the eye of one of them before her gaze dropped again, and remained fixated on Viktor's boots in front of her. They passed between the trees into Coronet, and didn't stop until they reached the centre of the town.

"Right," Flik began, "I'll go and round up supplies. Viktor can go find us a boat across the lake."

"Got it," his companion replied, turning away from their huddle.

"Discreetly," Flik added to Viktor's retreating back.

Ariel prayed he wouldn't cause any trouble. That seemed to be his style.

"And me?" she asked Flik, pointing to herself.

She couldn't think of anything particularly useful for her to do, and by the look on his face, neither could Flik.

"Why don't you head over to the inn?" he said eventually, "see if you can gather any information?"

Ariel glanced around the square. Everywhere she looked there was a soldier in Highland uniform.

"By…myself?" she asked softly, fear creeping into her thoughts.

"You'll be safer in there. Have a bite of food and clean yourself up a bit. Viktor and I will come for you soon, we won't be long."  
His voice was stern, and although he didn't phrase it like an order, Ariel felt compelled to do as he said. The idea of food, drink and hot water sounded almost too good to be true, and after a moment of consideration, she agreed.

"Okay, see you soon," he said quickly, before walking off towards the item shop.  
Ariel, aware that she was suddenly on her own, wasted no time either. She tried to look confident as she strode towards the inn. It was a very short walk, but she was relieved to be able to close the door behind her as she entered the building.

There were more people there than Ariel expected, due to the early hour. Then again, they had been invaded as well.

A sleepless night for everyone then, she thought to herself.

Every head in the room turned to look at Ariel as she crossed the room to the counter. As a runemistress, she had grown used to this kind of reaction in Muse. However, the atmosphere in the Coronet Inn was different. She could feel the tension in the air as the patron's eyes followed her. Most of them were only distracted by her for a moment before turning back to their companions. She could feel the rest of the eyes staring at her as she reached the counter.

Ariel spoke softly, politely asking for a private room and a basin of water. The proprietor responded in similar hushed tones before leading her to a room down the hall. It was a simple washroom, with a stone hand basin, a mirror, chair and an empty bath. She thanked the proprietor as she let her bag fall from her shoulders. It hit the wooden floor with a thud, and she winced at the sudden noise. The door clicked shut behind her, and Ariel was left standing in the middle of the room, with nothing but stone, water, and her own reflection.

She stared at the bedraggled woman in the mirror. Her tired eyes, unkempt hair, the dirt collecting at the hem of her dress; Ariel couldn't help herself.

She sunk onto the chair and began to cry.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, but a loud knock on the door brought Ariel back to reality. She leapt up, quickly splashing water on her face.

"Come in!" she called out.

The door swung open to reveal Viktor's brawny frame.

"They're stopping all the boats from going out but if we hurry we might swindle a ride across the river," he said quickly as he strode into the room.

Ariel did her best to retain her composure, wiping the water from her face as if she had been merely washing.  
"How soon?" she replied calmly.

His eyes shifted quickly away from her face.  
"When you're ready," he said as he retreated from the room, "I'll be outside."

A glance at the mirror revealed that her hasty attempt to disguise her tears had only made her look more dishevelled than before. She took a moment to hang her head in shame before fixing her appearance and followed Viktor out the door.

Flik and Viktor were waiting outside the inn, and wordlessly they began to walk towards the docks. Ariel followed closely, hiding herself as best she could behind them. There weren't many people around, but she fearfully observed every one of them. Every passer-by glanced at them, but only the soldiers' gazes lingered. The townspeople were quick to look away, eager to get on with their business without drawing attention. Coronet was a small town, and the walk was short. Before she knew it they were looking out over the lake.

Flik made a subtle wave to a plainly dressed man standing by the pier. He received a shrug in reply. Ariel wanted to ask who he was, but they were suddenly approached by a Highland soldier.

"What's your business here?" he asked gruffly, "if you're looking for a trip across the lake, you're out of luck."

Ariel's heart sunk, thinking only of the short walk back to the inn. Flik however, wasn't so resigned.

"Look," he said to the soldier, "see that man there? He's a fisherman from Kuskus. He needs to get back home, and we need to get across the lake. Let us across and you'd never have to see any of us again."

"By order of Prince Luca Blight, no one is going out onto the lake," the soldier replied.

"It's early," Flik countered, "nobody would see. We'd be out of sight before you know it. This man could get home to his family and we'd be on our way."

The soldier rolled his eyes.

"Do the words 'the boats aren't going out' mean anything to you?" he drawled.

Flik opened his mouth to reply but Viktor cut him off.

"Do the words 'broken ribs' mean anything to you?" he threatened.

The soldier placed his hand to the hilt of the sword at his waist. Viktor moved to do the same, but Flik held out an arm to stop him.

"Look, we don't want trouble," he said quickly, "we just want to get across the lake. We've found a way to do it that doesn't come back on you. Just let us through?"

Ariel watched the soldier's eyes narrow as he shook his head, his arm still ready.

This isn't working, she thought to herself, we're going to be stuck here….or worse.

Before finishing this line of thought, she acted.

"Is this going to take very much longer?" she asked in a bored tone, "I think I've spent quite long enough in this backwater village, don't you?"

Her companions both turned to look at her with confusion and surprise. The soldier looked as if he had only just noticed her standing there. Ariel didn't know whether this was a good sign or not, but she had half a plan in her head and she thought she may as well see it through.

"I mean really," she continued placing her hand on her hip, "you two buffoons are supposed to take me home to Gregminster, but you can't even book a passage on a boat? I'll be telling my father about this on my return."

Flik hung his head in defeat, playing along with her act. Comprehension dawned on Viktor's face and he attempted to join in.

"I'm sorry Miss…er…Reinbach," he said to her.

For a brief moment Ariel thought she saw Flik rolling his eyes. She couldn't tell if it was in response to her act or Viktor's. She halted for a second, wondering if this performance was going anywhere at all.

I can't really stop now, she thought, I may as well see it through…

With a mental shrug, she continued her tirade.

"You two really don't know anything about diplomacy, do you? He has to profit, not just us."

Flik, who had kept a straight face until this point, raised a questions eyebrow. It dawned on her that they didn't really have anything to trade.

Good one Ari, she said to herself, patronise war heroes and trade thin air for a boat passage.

She fought to keep the panic from her face. She fidgeted instead, running a hand through her hair as she tried to think of a way out of the situation.

"I apologise for these two," she said to the soldier, "that's the problem with hired bodyguards though, isn't it?"

As much as it pained her to be polite to him, Ariel was desperately trying to buy some precious thinking time. She rolled one of her rings around her finger as she contemplated what to do next. She had very little potch to trade, and she would need it if she was going to be running from the war. She ran a hand through her hair again, her bracelets jingling slightly as she did so.

"Do you have a wife, Mr Captain?" she asked him, "a girlfriend maybe?"

The soldier looked startled by her sudden question. Ariel hadn't thought it through at all, but it was the only idea she had.

"Err, I do, yeah," he replied, "a girlfriend."

"It must be tough for her, with you away," Ariel said, ignoring the puzzled looks of her companions, "I bet she misses you."

"Um, yeah…" the soldier agreed.

"Look, this war is none of our concern," Ariel lied, pulling her most expensive looking ring from her finger.

"You see this?" she asked, holding it up to show him, "this ring is Falenan Silver. The gem is from one of the ancient Sindar ruins in that area. They're hard to come by this far north; it'd make a wonderful gift to impress your lady."

"Uh, okay," he said slowly, "so if it's so valuable, why would you give it away so freely?"

"My father is a very successful trader in Greminster," Ariel replied swiftly, "he can acquire things like this easier than most. Also, I really do need to get home, we'd been traipsing around this filthy country long enough before the war began, I really don't wish to be here any longer than necessary."

The soldier paused for a long while. Ariel was just about to give up when he finally spoke.

"You're sure it'll impress her?" he asked.

"I'm sure it will. Falenan silver is one of my favourites. It's popular with the noblewomen back home too," she forced herself to smile at him in what she hoped was a reassuring manner.

He nodded sharply, and Ariel tried to contain a sigh of relief. He waved to the fisherman from Kuskus, beckoning him over.

"You take these passengers across the river," the soldier ordered as he led them all to the boats, "and you stay there. The docks of this town will be closed to you should you return."

The fisherman nodded and stepped down from the dock and onto the deck of his fishing boat. It was a relatively small craft, the low, canvas-covered 'cabin' taking up most of it. There were areas of decking at the front and back.

Ariel turned to the soldier and handed him the ring.

"Thank you," she said, her head dipping in a polite bow, "it's good to see that some men are capable of being sensible. Come along, you two."

The soldier looked triumphant as he glanced towards Flik and Viktor, who were both trying hard to look dejected.

Viktor led the way, stepping heavily onto the deck before disappearing through the curtain into the cabin. Flik was next, treading more carefully. Instead of heading straight into the cabin, he turned around to offer Ariel a hand. She placed her hand daintily in his, attempting to appear lady-like as she stepped into the boat. It rocked slightly, but not enough to cause her to fall. Once she was steady, Flik let go of her hand.

"Miss Reinbach," he said softly, his voice betraying the slightest hint of mockery, and motioned for her to continue into the cabin.

She pushed aside the curtain, leaving the soldier, and Coronet, behind her.


	8. On the Water

The cabin was small, with low benches on either side. Ariel estimated that it could fit a maximum of four people on each. Viktor had wasted no time, already claiming one side of the cabin by lying down along the bench. Ariel moved cautiously as the boat rocked on the waves, and perched herself on the end of the vacant seat. Flik sat on the other end, stretching his legs out across the boat.

Ariel sat still and poised, taking deep breaths to calm her pounding heart. She was relieved that her performance had paid off, but the tension and fear she had experienced was still lingering in her mind. The boat shifted, and Flik pulled the canvas back slightly to reveal the growing distance between them and the dock.

She forced herself to relax, sitting back and letting herself rock with the boat. They sat in silence for a few minutes, but eventually Flik spoke up.

"Reinbach? Really?" he said to Viktor.

"Well, I panicked!" Viktor replied, throwing up his hands, "she kind of came out of nowhere with that one!"

Flik gave a low chuckle, turning his head to look at Ariel.

"Yeah," he said to her, "that was quick thinking, coming up with a plan like that."

All of the haughtiness and pride of her performance had disappeared, and Ariel only managed a tired smile.

"Quick thinking maybe," she said softly, "no real plan…"

Viktor laughed loudly at her words, the sudden noise making Ariel jump.

"Well you got us out of there!" he said, rolling over to face the wall, "but it's a while till Kuskus and I'm going to grab some sleep while I can."

The word 'sleep' reached her ears and Ariel immediately began to feel tired. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, letting the boat rock her into a state of calm. Images of her escape from Muse flashed through her thoughts. She tried to focus on other things, listening the groaning of the wooden boards and the lapping of the waves outside.

Relax, she told herself, you're safe now.

But am I? asked a small voice in the back of her head, no money, no destination, no friends or family…

Ariel sighed heavily. Sitting in that boat - the safest place she had been since the attack on her home - was when fear began to creep in. Not the sheer terror she had felt running from the soldiers, or the despair on her own at the inn. She was now trying to comprehend a much bigger picture. The knowledge was slowly dawning on her that she was on her own, with no clue about what she was doing, or where she was going. She needed to formulate a plan, or at least a destination.

"You okay?" Flik interrupted her panic.

The cabin was dim, with only a small amount of the morning sun coming through the canvas. Ariel's eyes were adjusting though, and she could make out Flik's face. His weary expression didn't show much concern, as if he felt obligated to ask. Ariel didn't mind. She appreciated the effort.

"Um… not really," she replied, "I'm just not sure what to do next."

"Makes sense," he said, "did you have any plans?"

Ariel shook her head with a sigh.

"We were just running, you know, away. I was meant to take my sister and escape. It didn't matter where…"

Once again a lump formed in her throat when she thought of Saffron. She tried to push it from her mind, not wanting to think about what happened after she ran out the gate.

How she had left her sister behind.

"Well," Flik distracted her again, "you've got a few options if you want to escape this thing. Either head to the west, across the bridge and towards Tinto –that'll be the safest place in Jowston – or head down the river and make for Gregminster."

Ariel had been nodding her head at his first suggestion, suddenly stopped when he came to the second.

"Leave Jowston…?" she said softly, "for…Scarlet Moon?"

"The Toran Republic," he corrected.

"Oh. Yeah. The problem is that I've only got the potch in my purse, and I'm on my own..."

She paused, realising how dire her situation sounded when she said it out loud.

"I don't even know how I'd get to either of those places on my own. I guess I could travel with a group or something, but I don't know if I can trust strange travellers – I don't even know how to go about starting any kind of journey. I just want to get away from the Highland Army."

The words tumbled out of her mouth without consulting her brain. She knew she was rambling, but she still couldn't stop. She was suddenly faced with a whole world of uncertainty – a world she knew nothing about. Up until now everything had been instinct. Run. Hide. Escape. Now she had to form a plan. This plan would dictate where her life would take her. The most important decision of her life, and she didn't fully understand her options. Her head fell into her hands.

Flik sat in silence, watching her panic.

"Well," he said finally, "you do possess on of the rarer, more sought after abilities in the world. You're more likely to pick up work than others…"

"What do you mean?" she asked, confused.

"Well you're a runemistress right? That takes natural talent and training."

"I…guess so."

Ariel lifted her head. Flik had hit the nail on the head. Being a runemistress was all she had ever done, or knew how to do.

"Yeah," he continued, "and you look like you can throw a few spells around, you'll be fine."

His voice feltdismissive rather than comforting, but the message was the same.

"Healing spells mostly," she said, "I've never been in a battle before. All I can do is throw up barriers."

"So heal and throw up barriers. Battle isn't all about the offensive, you know," he sighed, resting his head against the wall and closing his eyes.

Ariel's eyes dropped, staring now at her hands in her lap. She felt like a child, like she'd just been told off. She wanted to say something to the man, something about his disinterested tone. But it wasn't his job to cheer her up, or to help her form a plan, so she kept quiet. Instead, she mimicked his actions, closing her eyes and leaning back. This time, she was too tired to resist the boat's slow roll over the waves. Without conversation to keep her attention, it wasn't long before sleep washed over her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love writing Flik and Viktor so much. Hope you're enjoying it! Feedback welcome and encouraged <3


	9. Decision Time

Instead of the cool, stone walls of her bedroom, Ariel woke to a much smaller space. She swayed drowsily, and it took her a few second to realise that it was the motion of the boat on the water. The groaning of the planks and a man's soft snores reached her ears. She took a deep breath, and the smell of salt rushed in with it. As her senses slowly put together her surroundings, her brain began to wake up too. Images flashed through her mind of the previous day. Or was it night? Ariel panicked for a second, until her common sense woke up and told her it didn't matter.

"We're nearly there," came a voice from the other end of the bench.

She jumped, her head whipped towards Flik in surprise. He raised an eyebrow.

"I had err… forgotten you were there," she explained.

"Hah. Thanks," he said flatly, but he managed a half smile.

"Have you slept at all?" she asked him, as she rolled her neck in a wide circle, attempting to work some life into her stiff shoulders.

"Little bit," he replied, "I've just been going over everything in my head, thinking about a plan for the road ahead."

A plan would be a handy thing to have, she thought to herself as she nodded in understanding. I could try the item shop in Kuskus, to see if they need an assistant… Or perhaps one of Flik's suggestions, Tinto or the Toran Republic? How far can I get on my own? How far do I want to go?

Without the motivation of taking Saffron to safety, Ariel wondered if she would have been better off staying in occupied Muse. It took her some time before she realised she was still nodding. It was helping her think.

"Hey, listen," Flik said, nudging Viktor with his boot.

"What?" the larger man groaned as he woke.

"Shh."

Ariel sat very still. Now that she was paying attention, she could hear noises other than the boat and the waves. She could hear voices.

"Good ears," the fisherman called into the cabin, "we're nearing the dock."

A few minutes later they were back on dry land, among the crates and barrels of the Kuskus waterfront. The fisherman thanked the trio for the opportunity to return home, and they thanked him for the transport before heading down the road.

"So what are you going to do now, Ariel?" Viktor asked.

"I...really don't know," she replied, "I guess find somewhere to stay?"

"In Kuskus?"

"Well…er...yes?"  
Ariel wished it didn't sound like a question, but it did.

"You don't sound very sure," Flik observed.

"Well I'm not!" she snapped, "I haven't exactly done this before."

Flik was about to respond when Viktor cut him off.

"Well hey. How about you come with us? We're heading to South Window. It's much bigger than here and less…fishy."

Ariel thought about it for a moment. As much as she didn't want to travel with people she didn't know or trust, Flik and Viktor seemed like her best bet to get her somewhere safe.

"Okay," she decided, before glancing warily at Flik, "as long as that's alright…"

"Of course it is!" Viktor replied with a grin while his companion shrugged.

Ariel managed a small smile. It wasn't exactly a plan, but it was something.

"Well you're going to need some better clothes," Flik said, his eyes scanning her attire.

Her smile quickly disappeared and she put her hands on her hips. She knew he meant 'more appropriate travelling gear', but as a typical young woman from Muse, she couldn't help her feelings being slightly hurt.

"And you're going to need some better manners," she snapped back at him.

"Well you're not going to travel in a full length dress, are you?" he said dismissively as he turned and walked down the road.

"Obviously not."

She glared at him, but the back of his head showed no signs of remorse. Viktor said nothing, but gave Ariel a friendly clap on the shoulder and followed his friend. The sudden contact was unexpected, and she had to take a step forward to steady herself. After a quick look around to check no one saw, she followed her two new companions to the Kuskus item shop.

While the two men were stocking up on food and medicine for the journey, Ariel browsed the clothes they had in stock. They were not the light, flowing dresses she was used to as a runemistress, but tougher, more practical garments. She selected some travelling gear, including some wool leggings, a mid-length skirt, warm tunic, and a study jacket.

"You'll want to pay extra for good quality boots," Viktor had advised, so Ariel made sure they were a perfect fit.

Once she had paid, Flik and Viktor waited outside while she got changed. The shopkeeper had let her use their wash room, and Ariel took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. While she usually had a good eye for colour, these clothes were not fashion items, and came in dull shades of grey and brown. The leggings were black, and Ariel couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious, as her slim legs were usually obscured by a full length dress. It was definitely a new look for her, but she felt a little more ready now that she looked the part.

But the colour…ick, said Saffron's voice in the back of her mind.

They're practical, she chided her absent sister as she turned away from the mirror and went to meet her new travelling party.

She stepped out into the sun to see them leaning against the wall. They appeared to be having some kind of discussion, but stopped as Ariel approached.

"Wow, look at you!" Viktor grinned, "ready for the road?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Ariel replied with a nervous smile.

"Then let's go!"

He hoisted his pack onto his shoulders and started towards the town's south exit. Ariel did the same, glancing at Flik as she passed. She sent him an inquisitive look, as if to say 'what, no smart comment?' but he merely watched her as she passed.

"Right," she whispered to herself, "to South Window, then."


	10. On the Road Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a heads up - not all characters get on all the time. I like writing conflict.

It wasn't long before her choice of travelling companions began to worry Ariel. Until she remembered that she hadn't really had a choice at all. Viktor had insisted that he knew a shortcut to South Window, and they were now trying to find the trail.

"Isn't South Window just, you know, south?" Ariel inquired, "I thought the main road was the fastest way."

"Well that's where you'd be wrong," Viktor replied, "but that's okay, you didn't grow up around here like I did. Trust ol' Viktor."

As she watched him scramble over rocks and bushes to find this hidden path, Ariel decided she'd never trusted him less. She turned to Flik, who, although he wasn't as warm towards her, at least had good head on his shoulders. He met her gaze and shrugged.

"Sometimes, it's just easier to let him do what he thinks is best."

"Do you think there is a short cut?" she asked him.

"Depends what you mean by 'short cut'…"

Ariel chewed her lip as she went over the distance in her mind, as well as the provisions she had in her pack.

"But… we should only have to stop for one night, right?" she asked with a worried frown.

She heard Viktor call 'found it!' from his vantage point on top of a boulder.

"Don't worry," Flik gave her a half smile and set out towards his friend, "I packed food for three days."

Was he kidding? Ariel didn't know whether to laugh or not. She just hoped they'd make it to South Window without getting lost.

While she enjoyed the feeling of progress she got from walking, Ariel found it gave her too much time to think about home. It seemed like every few steps she took, a new face came to mind - one more person to worry and wonder about. She thought about all of the people she saw on a daily basis. She thought about customers. She thought of people who had moved away from Muse, who she hadn't spared a thought for in years. She suddenly remembered the existence of a childhood playmate, who hadn't crossed her mind in a decade.

All of these faces were suddenly important. Ariel wondered what had become of every one of them. She tried to focus on the more obscure ones, trying to remember every possible detail about them. It helped her to avoid the more painful thoughts about her family, if only for a little while.

They stopped for a break after a short fight with some flying squirrels. The two men had dispatched them quickly enough, but Viktor had a shallow cut on the side of his head which needed treatment. He sat leaning against a tree while she knelt down next to him. They had dropped their packs down next to a pond, and Flik was taking the opportunity to fill up his flask.

"It's fine," Ariel told him after she had cleaned the cut, "the head tends to be a bit melodramatic when it comes to blood."

He met her eyes an winked.

"Takes more than a squirrel to injure me," he said to her, "I just stopped so Flik here could take a break."

Ariel couldn't help but smile at the big man's cheerful demeanour. She looked up to see Flik rolling his eyes, but otherwise not responding to his companion's teasing. They were unlikely friends, in her opinion, though they seemed to balance each other out.

A sudden movement among the trees behind Flik caught Ariel's attention.

"What's that?" she asked, her eyes flicking from the tree to their pile of packs and weapons.

A sudden flash of red among the branches caused her to scramble to her feet. She started towards their gear, but a squirrel hurtled from a tree and collided with her chest, sending her sprawling backward onto the grass. Viktor leapt up as well, only to be struck on the side of his head.

The squirrels were in full view now, swarming in the trees around Flik, the only member of their party still standing. He was fending them off as best he could with his arms, but his weapon was also over with the rest of their gear. Ariel sprung to her feet and called on her water rune to offer her ally some kind of protection. Throwing her arms forward, she conjured a barrier of ice around Flik. It worked surprisingly well. Although the barrier was weak, the squirrels were swooping down at such a speed that they did all of the work for her. Four squirrels bounced off the barrier before it disintegrated, and fell to the ground.

Before they could shake their surprise, Flik raised his hand, sending a purple bolt of lightning running along the ground towards them. It passed over three of the squirrels, electrocuting them and rendering them immobile. The fourth had shaken off its daze and was about to take off when Viktor surged forward and delivered a hefty kick, sending the creature into a nearby tree. It flopped down onto the grass and didn't get up.

Stillness returned to their little camp, with only the breeze left to ruffle their enemies' red capes. The two men moved to pick up their swords, remarking on how they had made such a stupid error in putting them down. But Ariel hadn't moved since Flik had cast his spell. She had seen him use a similar spell once when they escaped from Muse, but there was something wrong. Something she couldn't put her finger on. She simply eyed him with suspicion.  
He walked towards her, concerned by her intense gaze.

"Hey thanks," he smiled, "that barrier you threw up was a neat trick."

Suddenly everything fell into place inside her head. Ariel started towards him, and without considering what she was doing, she gave him a rough shove in the chest.

"You!" she exclaimed as he stepped back in surprise, "you and your rune!"

He bought his palms up in surrender.

"I have a lightning rune," he said calmly, "I try to save it for emergencies…"

"Emergencies?!" Ariel retorted, a lump forming in her throat, "So saving my sister wasn't an emergency?!"

Flik's eyebrows knitted together in a puzzled expression for a few seconds before the memory dawned on him. His blue eyes widened and his mouth fell open.

"I…uh, didn't know how many soldiers we'd need to face to escape. I was saving my magic for the road…"

"So you left an innocent girl at the mercy of Highland soldiers!" Ariel fumed, tears prickling the back of her eyes.

Flik turned his head to Viktor, seeking the assistance of his companion. Viktor approached Ariel, placing a reassuring  
hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," he said quietly, "we did the best we could."

She raised her arm and swiped his hand away.

"You might have," she shot at him, keeping her eyes on Flik, "but he didn't."

Flik didn't meet her eyes. His gaze darted around the trees as he scratched his head beneath his blue bandana.

"Knowing what I know now, I would have," he said sternly, "but I didn't know how many we would face. We got away lightly with just those few at the gate."

Ariel was furious. Her hands were balled into fists as she stared at the man who could have saved Saffron. The man who kept his voice level and made excuses for not helping her sister. It was too much.

"You could have saved her and you didn't!" she cried, "You had the power and you didn't use it, and now you make excuses! Do you even care? You could have saved her!"

"I saved you!" he yelled at her, unable to keep his cool.

Ariel was taken aback by his sudden outburst, and words escaped her for a few seconds. But they came back in force. Her emotions whirred around her mind and words tumbled out of her mouth before she could properly think them through. Her rant was stilted, but every time she trailed off a new fire grew, and new accusations were thrown.

"The only reason I was leaving was to get her to safety, and now here I am and I have no idea where she is, if she's alright or if she's... I ran from everything I've ever known to stand here and argue with a man who doesn't even care about us! You don't understand what I'm going through… Do you have any idea how it feels? To leave something so valuable behind and have to go on without it…"

She trailed off, rage overcoming her ability to speak. She nearly started up again, but stopped when she looked at the face of the man in front of her. Instead of surprise, this time she found cold steel in Flik's blue eyes. He spoke, and though his voice was quiet, but was as hard as the look he gave her.

"You have no idea."

He held her eyes for a moment before turning and walking towards their packs. Ariel watched him go, inheriting the role of the surprised and confused one. Suddenly, she had no words.

"Uh, we'll just make camp here for the night," Viktor announced.

No one disagreed.


	11. Words

Night had all but fallen by the time the two spoke again. Dinner had been a quiet affair, with Viktor trying in vain to stir up some kind of conversation.

"I give up," he had said finally, throwing up his hands in frustration, "I'm going to grab some more firewood."

The dying fire had been more for cooking than for light, as the fading sunlight made way for the light of the stars. Ariel sat with her back against a tree trunk unable to keep her mind away from the afternoon's argument. Her first emotion was embarrassment. She had never so completely lost control of herself like that. The distress of leaving her sister was an immense weight around her heart, and she had jumped at the chance to blame someone. But the Highland army was to blame, not the man across the camp.

Thoughts of Flik opened her mind to guilt. He and Viktor had saved her from the clutches of soldiers and she hadn't thanked him. Instead she had accused him of not doing enough. His final words to her had really thrown her though, and she racked her brain for all her knowledge of Blue Lightning Flik. She had clearly touched a nerve when she threw accusations about not understanding her situation.

He had been a member of the Liberation Army in the recent Gate Rune war. She hadn't paid much attention to the conflict, except to reassure herself that it wouldn't travel to Jowston. But the problem had remained contained in the Scarlet Moon Empire, now the Toran Republic. The empire had been overthrown by the likes of Flik, Mathiu Silverberg and Tir McDohl. Ariel had been fascinated when she heard about the young leader.

The idea that a boy, no older than Saffron, could lead an army had amazed her. He had been appointed leader after the previous one, Odessa Silverberg, had died. Her death had been kept secret to avoid conflict over leadership, and Tir McDohl had the chance to prove his leadership by the time word got out about it. She was a fascinating figure as well, like a heroine from a tale. Famous for leaving a noble life and founding the Liberation Army, Ariel had also heard that Lady Odessa had lost her fiancee in conflict with the Imperials, but rumour was she had a close relationship with one of her generals-

"Oh," she whispered.

She looked across the camp at Flik, finally realising the full weight behind his words, and the weight of her accusations towards the famous general. Could it be him? It didn't really matter - of course he would have had to leave things behind. Ariel reminded herself that just because she'd never seen bloodshed, this wasn't his first war. 

Oh, she repeated in her head, cringing at her own ignorance.

After a few minutes spent getting her head around the situation, she rose from her spot and walked towards him. He was sitting on a log, staring into the fire. He looked up as she approached, but did not speak. She didn't either, choosing instead to sit down next to him in silence.

The light from the small fire flickered across his handsome features, bringing warmth into his cool blue eyes. She had known his face before she had met him. Most people did. Looking at him now, in person, she understood why. It was the kind of face you'd want to draw or paint.

Handsome and famous, Saffron, she said mentally.

She almost smiled at herself for speaking to her sister inside her head, but Flik turned to look at her. She wiped as much emotion from her face as she could, embarrassed at her line of thought. She looked down at her knees. She decided she needed to say something. There was so much she wanted to say.

"Thank y-" she began.

"I'm sorry," he said at the same time.

He looked as surprised as she felt, but he continued.

"I'm sorry I didn't save your sister. If I could have the time over again I would drain the rune of everything it had. I'm sorry you have to go through this alone."

Ariel's lips parted but she couldn't find any words. His apology was not part of the speech she had planned in her head.

"And now I'm sorry I interrupted you," he said with a half-smile.

She returned the expression and resumed her sentence.

"Thank you for saving me," she said softly, "and I'm sorry too. Saffron was mine to protect, not yours. You saved me from the soldiers when you didn't have to. You're getting me to safety when you don't have to…"

"It's alright."

She felt guilty for being so ungrateful, and was also slightly overcome by thinking about his famous past, and the trauma she had brought up.

"Sir Flik," she said in an accidentally formal manner, "I'm sorry I said all of those things."

To Ariel's surprise, he let out a short laugh.

"I appreciate the recognition, but can we leave out the 'sir' part?" he asked, "it makes me feel old."

Ariel put a hand over her eyes to hide her embarrassment, but left her grin uncovered.

"No problem," she replied.

They set out early the next morning, Viktor once again leading the way. They clambered over an outcrop of rocks to reach the top of the rise.

"Remind me again how this is a shortcut?" Ariel said loudly to Flik.

He gave an exaggerated shrug in reply.

"Ask our peerless navigator," he replied in a similarly loud manner.

Viktor turned and looked down at them from the top of the rise.

"Hey! Just because you two aren't arguing now doesn't mean you can have a go at me. I'll get us to South Window!"

The pair shared a glance, and Ariel wondered how Flik went through this without someone to share those looks with. When they reached the top, she was pleased to see that it was mostly flat land ahead of them. She breathed a sigh of relief and followed Viktor down the slope.

The big man set quite a pace going up the hills, and it was easier for Ariel to keep up on flat land.

"Hey Flik," Viktor said as they caught up, "do you think Riou and Jowy got out okay?"

"I hope so," Flik replied, "They're decent fighters. And that Jowy is a smart kid, I'm sure they'll be fine."

The name Jowy rang a bell, but Ariel couldn't put her finger on where she knew it from.

"Friends of yours?" she asked them.

"Well… uh," Viktor started, "it's hard to explain. They were our prisoners."

"Then they were escapees," Flik added.

"Then Riou fought Flik and they became our soldiers."

"Sounds complex," Ariel laughed.

"Yeah," said Viktor, "especially when you consider that they're Highlanders we imprisoned for maybe being Highland spies who escaped back to Highland and accused of being State spies only to be rescued by us and taken to Muse to actually become State spies."

"My head hurts," Ariel confessed.

"Mine too," replied Flik, "but Riou and Jowy fought to protect Muse. Nanami too, Riou's brat sister."

"So Jowy was a soldier?" Ariel asked, trying to remember where she knew the name from.

"Yep!" Viktor confirmed, "he was pretty good with a staff."

Ariel cast her mind back to before Highland attacked. It seemed like weeks ago, not days. She recalled a young man coming into the rune shop who Saffron had tried to impress.

"I think I met him," Ariel smiled at the memory, "he came into the rune shop."

She added him to list of names and faces to wonder about. She hoped he was okay, he seemed like a nice kid.

"The Muse rune shop?" Flik inquired, "they helped out with the battle preparation, right?"

"Yeah, my sister and I were fitting soldiers with runes for hours."

"I think I remember you two now," he said, "you were the only ones smiling."

Ariel had a sudden memory flash of that day, and the jokes her and Saffron had made about the soldiers. Their laughter had caught the attention of a handsome soldier in blue…

Oh no, Ariel thought to herself, that is so embarrassing.

"Ha… yeah," she said, her face flushed red, "that was quite inappropriate in retrospect…"

"Hey! Someone's gotta smile!" Viktor told her with a grin.

"Still, they were about to risk their lives…"

"True," Flik continued, "but soldiers sometimes need that. They need to be reminded what's at stake. A pretty girl's smile reminds them what they're fighting for."

Pretty girl? she asked herself, her face growing redder.

Viktor let out a booming laugh. Ariel was suddenly incredibly interested in her feet. She watched as her boots flattened the grass with every step. If she had looked up, she might have seen the warning look Flik had given his companion.

"What I mean is," he continued, "seriousness is good, but morale is also invaluable for the troops."

"In which case, I'm glad I could help!" she replied cheerfully, willing her blush to disappear.

"Hey!" Viktor exclaimed, "Is that the road?!"  
Ariel looked up the see a wide stretch of flat dirt up ahead. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the True Runes that they weren't lost.

"Phew," muttered Flik, echoing her sentiments, "can't be far now."

He was right. Two hours later, the city of South Window was in sight. The trio picked up the pace, all three of them looking forward to a cooked meal and a warm bath.


	12. New Beginnings

They passed through the gates of South Window and headed straight for the inn. They didn't have to go far; it was right near the entrance to the city. It was Ariel's first visit to the capital of Jowston's southern district, and she looked around the bustling city in awe. Like Muse, it was mostly made of stone; however this city had its own character, incorporating more wood into the buildings.

Her companions knew exactly where they were going, so all Ariel had to do was follow them to the inn.

"Viktor! And Flik!" the owner called out as they stepped in the door, "and a new face!"

The men greeted each other while Ariel glanced around the room. It was an open room, containing the counter that the man stood behind, a table and chairs, with a staircase on the far side.  
She smiled as the owner introduced himself to her. He was clearly very friendly with his customers. They paid for their rooms and went upstairs to put their belongings away. Ariel dumped her pack on the floor of her room and collapsed backward onto the soft bed.

"It sure beats the ground, huh?"

She drew her chin to her chest to see Viktor leaning against the door frame.

"Anything beats the ground," she replied, letting her head fall back again.

Ariel heard him chuckle.

"Anyway, I'm going to have a bath," he said, "but the South Window rune shop is straight ahead once you leave the inn, if you were still interested in getting work there."

Ariel reluctantly swung her legs off the bed and sat up.

"Thanks," she said, "I'm so used to knowing where everything is in Muse, I hope I don't get lost."

"Seriously, it's straight ahead, in the next building," he replied with his trademark grin.

"You sure you don't know a shortcut, Viktor?" she asked with a sly glance.

He let out a loud laugh.

"Hey, we got here safe, missy! You need some help getting work here, I know a few tricks."

She struggled to her feet, deciding it was better to pay the rune shop a visit soon, then she could relax for the rest of the afternoon.

"I think I can manage on my own," she sighed, "I suppose I'd better get there before the hordes of fleeing rune mistresses arrive…"

"Good luck," Viktor said to her before retreating down the hall.

Ariel checked her appearance in the mirror. She tidied her hair and wiped her face, making herself as presentable as possible.

It's a pity my dress is filthy, she thought to herself, oh well.

She wandered out of her room and down the stairs. She smiled at the friendly man behind the front desk as she made her way out into the unfamiliar city.

After a very short walk, Ariel opened the door of the rune shop.

It really was straight ahead, she thought with a smile, at least I'll be able to find my way back.

"Hello there, how may I help?" asked an older man from behind the counter.

"Hello, my name is Ariel," she said, "I'm looking for work. I worked at the rune shop in Muse before it was attacked by Highland. I escaped, but I need to find work…"

"A Highland attack, you say?" he said with only a hint of surprise, "this is most disturbing news."

"Yes sir, it was awful."

"You worked under Master Zenith, did you?" he inquired.

"Yes sir, he is my uncle."

"I see. Well child, business is slow at the moment, I'm not certain another assistant is necessary."

Ariel's face fell. This was really the only option she had considered, she hadn't seriously thought about what she would do if she couldn't work as a rune mistress.

"Oh," she said simply.

"But," the man continued, "if the situation is as you say, it looks like I may be needing one soon."

"Really?!" Ariel exclaimed, forgetting her rune mistress-like calm.

"Yes child," the man smiled, "come by any time tomorrow and I'll see what work I can find you."

Ariel resisted the urge to jump up and down.

"Thank you sir," she said, returning the smile.

She turned around and left the shop, all but skipping back to the inn. It was the first piece of good news she had had in a while. Also the knowledge that she was returning to a relaxing evening with a hot bath added an extra spring to her step.

It was a quiet evening for the trio, with a hot meal, a warm bath and all the comforts of civilisation.  
Well, almost, Ariel thought to herself as she recalled the familiarity of home.

Viktor let out a loud belch as he plonked his tankard onto the table, interrupting her thoughts.

"Phew, I needed that," he announced.

Flik nodded as he swallowed a mouthful of his beer.

"It's been a rough few days," he agreed.

Ariel sipped her tea, wondering how many times the two men had been in this situation. Were they really so well practiced that they could just knock back a beer and say 'phew'?

"So what will you two do now?" she asked them.

Viktor stroked his chin for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought.

"Well, Flik looks really good in a runemistress dress," he said with a wink, "but I hear someone already took that job."

Ariel his a giggle behind her hand as Flik sent his companion a tight smile.

"Hah," he said shortly before turning to Ariel.

"Well, we'll visit the mayor sometime tomorrow to see what we can do to help. Other than that, were waiting to rendezvous with our people from the mercenary fort. Jowston looks like it's gonna need all the help it can get."

She nodded slowly, staring at the ripples in her tea. There had been a few more arrivals in South Window that evening. Each carried different information about the current situation. Although there was nothing certain, they had heard many different versions of the Muse attack. Ariel hoped that the one about Anabelle's death was just a rumour. Viktor had claimed that it couldn't be true, but by the way his face had paled, she didn't think it was her he was trying to convince.

"How about you?"

Ariel looked up directly into Flik's questioning eyes.

"I, uh, well," she stuttered for a second, "I'll be here at least until I can get some money together. I suppose it all depends on what the Highland Army do…"

"Looks like well both have to wait and see, I guess," he said with a shrug, running a hand through his hair.

"I guess so," Ariel replied, watching as the strands fell untidily over his blue bandana.

"Anywaaay, I'm gonna get some sleep," Viktor chimed in, "I'm beat."

"Me too," Ariel agreed.

"And you have a job tomorrow, miss," he said to her, with a grin she couldn't help but return.

She bid the two men good night and all but raced up the stairs. As she tucked herself into a bed for what felt like the first time in an age, she felt a lot better about her situation.

Maybe things are finally looking up, she thought as she closed her eyes.


	13. Those Who Work

Ariel woke with a start, the blankets twisted tightly around her. It took her a few moments to remember where she was. Sleeping in a real bed had her under the illusion that she had woken from a bad dream, and was still at home in Muse. As she took in her surroundings however, the illusion fell away. The bad dream part was true enough though, a layer of sweat kept her clothes clinging to the skin of her back. With a deep breath, she forced herself out of bed and crossed the room to wash her face in the basin.

Ariel splashed water on her face and rubbed her cool, wet hand on the back of her neck as forced herself to take a look at her reflection. The mirror was unforgiving as it reflected the result of her nightmare. She met her own eyes in the glass, she spoke out loud.

"You can do this, Ari."

She stared herself down until she believed her words. Only then did her gaze travel up to address the situation of her hair, plastered to her forehead with sweat.

That's not a good look, she thought as she viciously combed it with her water-coated fingers.

Though the wetness had taken the usual slight red tinge from her brown locks, Ariel deemed her appearance acceptable. She took her washed dress from the drying place on the back of the chair and put it on. Of all her dresses back in Muse, Ariel was glad she still had this one. A soft pink, flowing piece of normality. She placed her circlet on her head and allowed herself one final glance at the mirror. Her reflection showed Ariel, the runemistress of Muse. It was as if nothing had happened in the last few days, as if it all really had been a dream.

That's who I'll be today, she told herself as she turned to the door.

That's who I am, she corrected as she closed it behind her.

After a hot breakfast, Ariel rose to leave the inn, eager to see what awaited her at the rune shop.

"Off to work?" Viktor held open the door for her.

"Yes," she replied with a triumphant smile, "how about you?"

He followed her out into the morning sun, letting the door swing shut behind them.

"Gonna stock up on medicine, then…" he shrugged, "…probably just loiter round the gate and see if anyone else shows up. Gotta meet with the mayor at some point too."

Ariel had almost forgotten that Viktor and Flik were part of a larger group.

"Good luck," she said to him as they parted ways.

"You too. Work hard!" he laughed.

She grinned and walked the short distance to the rune shop.

It turned out that South Window's rune master wasn't nearly as organised as Ariel's uncle Zenith. His store room was well-stocked… as far as she could tell.

"It's a little cluttered," he said as he showed her in, "I've been meaning to get it straightened out for a while."

Ariel stared wide-eyed at the boxes and shelves, most of which were coated in a thick layer of dust.

"How many decades is a while?" she asked.

He fixed Ariel with a long, stern stare, and she remembered that she was no longer working for close family.

"I'll get to organising this immediately, Rune Master," she said with an apologetic smile.

Thankfully, he returned her smile with a kind one of his own.

"I'm sure you're up to the task," he said before leaving her to the crystals and the dust.

Ariel had lost track of time while she had been organising and taking inventory. Hours had passed, but she had no idea how many. By the time the rune master returned she had organised half of the shelves, while the rest of the room was just as cluttered as before.

"Organised chaos?"

His soft voice startled her after hours on her own. She had enjoyed working again, and even the dull work kept her mind occupied and away from more depressing matters.

"Exactly," she replied with a smile, standing up and stretching her limbs, "now that there's a place for everything, it shouldn't take long to clean up the rest."

"You work hard. Exactly what I'd expect from Zenith's pupil."

It was meant as a kindness, but that didn't stop Ariel's breath from catching at the unexpected mention of her family. She only faltered for a moment before she regained her composure, but it didn't escape her employer's notice.

"You've done enough for the day, child" he said softly, "go and get some rest."

He handed her a small pouch of potch as she left, and she thanked him again for the opportunity to work. He simply smiled his kind smile and ushered her out the door.


	14. Tea Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, not every character/star of destiny is going to get on with each other (this never means I dislike characters I put at odds with Ariel). Enjoy! Feedback welcome and encouraged :)

It was mid-afternoon, Ariel discovered as she headed back to the inn. She had a fleeting desire to look around the city first, but her growling stomach overruled her curiosity. The owner of the inn gave her a friendly greeting, and agreed to send some food out for her. She thanked him, and glanced around the room for a spare seat. She spotted Flik sitting at one of the tables with a black-haired woman. Not wanting to interrupt, Ariel moved to occupy a different table, but Flik hastily waved her over.

"How was it?" he asked as she took the chair next to his.

"I've never seen a more untidy store room in my life," she replied, "I'm covered in dust."

"Lucky you," he said before reaching for the teapot in the centre of the table, "tea?"

"Yes please," she replied, having not had a drink all day.

The woman passed Flik a cup, which he filled and slid over to Ariel.

"Thanks," she said with a nod to the woman, "I'm Ariel."

"Nice to meet you," she replied the woman with a lovely smile, "I'm Rina."

"One of your mercenaries?" Rina asked Flik with a sly smile.

"Ah, no," he responded, "we travelled together is all."

"Oh hoo hoo," Rina laughed, "travelled together? Or _travelled together _?"__

__Ariel paused with her teacup halfway to her mouth, unsure of what Rina was suggesting. She glanced at Flik, who was scratching his temple, just under his bandana._ _

__"We just came here together when Muse was attacked. Kind of by accident, really," he answered._ _

__"Yeah," Ariel nodded, "Sir Flik and Viktor helped me escape and get here safely."_ _

__She wasn't sure why she had reverted to calling him 'sir', but he didn't correct her this time. Rina's keen dark eyes roamed Ariel's face, giving the rune mistress an appraising look._ _

__"What about you, Miss Rina?" Ariel asked, "are you from South Window?"_ _

__Rina gave a little laugh before shaking her head._ _

__"I'm from the Grasslands," Rina said, "We're travelling performers, caught up in this stupid war. Turns out me and handsome here have a mutual friend. My brother, sister and I travelled from Coronet with him."_ _

__She gestured to a big, muscled man sitting in the corner of the inn. He looked incredibly strong, but Ariel could see his face was kind as he played with a small child beside him._ _

__"That's Bolgan. We're not actually related like me and my sister, but he's family to us."_ _

__"Is that your sister?" Ariel asked, gesturing to the little girl._ _

__Rina laughed again._ _

__Does everything amuse her? Ariel wondered._ _

__"No, that's Pilika, the kid our friend was looking after. My sister is younger than me, but not that young. She's off on some adventure outside the city at the moment."_ _

__Ariel stared at the woman on the other side of the table. She was beautiful, with straight black hair and delicate features. Despite her elegance, Ariel placed her age as late teens, meaning a younger sibling would perhaps be around the same age as Ariel's own sister. She couldn't imagine letting Saffron out of her sight at a time such as this._ _

__"You let her go off on her own?" Ariel asked her, trying to keep an accusing tone from her voice._ _

__Rina raised an eyebrow before responding._ _

__"Eilie can look after herself. Besides, she's with two of our friends, as well as a South Window soldier and Viktor. She'll be fine."_ _

__"Viktor left?" Ariel asked, turning to Flik, "Where'd he go?"_ _

__"We went to see the Mayor," he replied, "apparently girls have been disappearing up near North Window. Viktor's gone to check it out for Granmeyer."_ _

__Ariel's eyebrows knitting together as she considered his words._ _

__"So, girls have been disappearing," she fixed Rina with a hard stare, "and you just let your little sister run off and investigate?"_ _

__For the first time since she sat down, Ariel saw Rina's composure falter. It only lasted for a second before she returned Ariel's stare._ _

__"And what would you have me do?" she replied with strained politeness, "Eilie doesn't need me to wipe her nose for her, she's not a child. She's with competent fighters. She will be fine."_ _

__"At an isolated location where people like her have been disappearing," Ariel said, unable to keep the emotion out of her voice, "you can't just decide that she'll be fine! It doesn't work like that!"_ _

__She paused at the sound of Flik's small cough. He took a deep breath and turned to Rina._ _

__"Ariel's sister wasn't able to escape from Muse. We're unsure what happened to her."_ _

__Rina nodded silently and Flik turned back to Ariel. She met his eyes with a stern gaze, annoyed that he felt the need to explain her concern._ _

__"She's with at least three strong fighters," Flik assured her, "Viktor is from there, he knows the area. Rina's sister is well-protected."_ _

__Ariel mimicked Rina's solemn nod. She supposed that it wasn't really her business, but it made her angry that a big sister could be so irresponsible. She sat back in her chair, about to drop the subject, when she considered the other half of Flik's statement._ _

__"Viktor's from North Window?" she asked, "that's horrible…"_ _

__"Yeah," Flik nodded, "he was lucky to be out of town when the incident happened back then. He's one of the few survivors."_ _

__The entire town of North Window had been destroyed ten years before, and had never been rebuilt. Ariel glanced at Rina and saw a similar look of concern on her face._ _

__"That's going to be awful for him, going back there," Ariel thought out loud._ _

__"It'll be tough,"Flik agreed._ _

__Ariel's eyes narrowed at him. As much as she didn't want to start an argument, his tone bordered on indifference, which she found odd, especially as he was referring to his friend._ _

__"Aren't you his friend? Shouldn't you have gone with him?"_ _

__"I, uh," he nervously scratched under his bandana again, "I didn't think about it like that…"_ _

__"Viktor didn't seem too worried," Rina explained, "anyway, I was the one who offered to have tea."_ _

__"That's true," Flik continued quickly, "he charged off practically straight after that, I didn't get much of a choice."_ _

__Rina gave another little laugh at this, though Ariel wasn't sure why._ _

__"It still seems like he could have used a friend about now," she couldn't help but add._ _

__Clearly done with being questioned, Flik simply shrugged in reply. The gesture made Ariel feel like she was a nagging old woman, like the one who lived down her street back in Muse. She always offered criticism but never support or advice. Ariel gave an internal shudder at the thought of becoming a woman like that._ _

__"Okay then," she sighed, deciding to change the subject, "so who's this mutual friend you two have?"_ _

__"Well, remember those Highland prisoners we told you about?" Flik asked, "the ones who became spies?"_ _

__"Err… kind of," she admitted, "you didn't explain it too well."_ _

__The memory of Viktor's description coaxed a half-smile from his lips._ _

__"Well, they're our allies," he explained, "they knew Rina and her troupe from when they escaped our fort. One of the boys travelled here and they met up on the way."_ _

__"That's great!" Ariel replied, glad they weren't the only ones to make it to South Window, "but only one of them? What about the other?"_ _

__Flik's face darkened. He took a long sip of tea before he spoke again._ _

__"The other… the other one killed Lady Anabelle."_ _


	15. Plans

"Your soup's getting cold."

Ariel snapped out of her daze and looked up with a forced smile. Despite Bolgan's bulky stature, he had a kind face, and his words were gentle.

"I can't finish it," she shrugged, "do you want it?"

"No it's okay. Pilika might!" the big man responded with a grin.

She gestured for him to take it. He obliged, carrying the bowl over to the little girl in the corner. At first she refused the soup, but Bolgan turned it into a game, and Pilika began to eat. Ariel couldn't help but smile at the pair of them. Bolgan would never have been her first choice as a baby sitter, but he connected with the mute girl better than anyone else. Ariel's own attempts at communicating with Pilika had been awkward failures, and from what she could tell it was the same with most of the others.

A quick glance around the room told her that the inn's other patrons were in much the same position as herself, sitting around with nothing much to do. In another time the scene in front of her could be a calm one, but this afternoon there was a tension in the air, and everyone felt it. Lady Anabelle was dead, and the north and east regions of Jowston were occupied. The advance force of the Highland army was in talks with the South Window mayor, and the entire city was on edge, waiting for the outcome.

The front door opened suddenly and the entire room froze, their eyes locked on the entrance. Flik strode in, his boots clunking across the wooden floor as he approached the desk. The rest of the patrons relaxed as they recognised the familiar man in blue.

Ariel watched as Flik leaned on the counter, exchanging words with the owner. She focused her hearing but despite the room's quietness she couldn't make out their low voices. Then, so quickly she almost thought she imagined it, she saw a flash of paper slide across the desk and into Flik's hand. Her eyes darted around the room to see if anyone else had witnessed it, but all of the other patrons appeared to have missed it. He turned away from the desk and proceeded across the room towards the stairs.

"What was that about?" she asked as he passed.

Ariel knew immediately that she should have kept her mouth shut, as a look of pure anger flashed across Flik's face.

"What?" he responded, forcing a friendly tone into his voice.

"Oh, never mind," Ariel gulped, her gaze dropping quickly from the fierce warning in his eyes.

Flik didn't move, and when she mustered the courage to look up, he simply flicked his gaze towards the stairs and back again. She gave the smallest of nods and he immediately turned and walked out of the room. After taking a few moments to process the situation, knowing she had made a serious error, Ariel stood and followed him up the stairs.

"Are you really that stupid?" Flik sighed as the room door clicked shut behind her.

She couldn't bring herself to look at his face, instead apologising to her shoes.

"I'm sorry," she stammered, "I just didn't think is all…"

"You're right about that," he sighed again as he slumped into a chair.

"I'm sorry, Sir Flik," she repeated, before lifting her gaze, "but what was that about, with the innkeeper?"

He gestured towards the chair across the table and took the piece of paper from his pocket. Ariel complied, sweeping her dress forward as she sat down. She watched intently as his eyes quickly scanned the note in front of him.

"Basically, we're hoping to get as many people out of the city as we can," he explained, "it's not safe here. The innkeeper is a friend. He's organising supplies and transport."

"Is it really that dangerous?" Ariel asked, "the mayor is discussing peace with the Highlanders now, right?"

Flik let out third sigh, crossing his forearms on the table in front of him.

"Wouldn't that be nice?" he said drily, "No, it's not safe. The Highlanders did not kill their own recruits, take our capital, and march this far, this fast, just to make peace with Granmeyer. We're in real danger here. I'm guessing they already have their spies within the city walls..."

"Hence the secrecy," Ariel finished.

Flik gave an exaggerated nod, indicating that this information should have been obvious. She paused for a moment and toyed with the detailing on her dress, disappointed in how it had taken Flik's explanation for her to realise the danger.

"I should have realised," she said softly.

"It's not exactly advanced strategy," he muttered.

Her grip tightened on the material between her fingers. While she knew he was under no obligation to make her feel better, he was making her feel small and stupid.

"Well it's not exactly like I've been in a war before," she shot back, "I made a mistake. Anyway, where are you planning to run to?"

"Mistakes can cost lives in a war. Remember that," his reply was blunt, but not unkind, "and we'll probably head towards North Window. The innkeeper has put together some wagons and supplies. With some luck we can rendezvous with Viktor and head west."

"We?" she inquired.

"Yeah," he replied, scratching at his temple, "it looks like the Toran Republic is cut off, but Tinto is still an option if you want to escape this thing."

Ariel's mouth twitched into a small smile. Despite everything, there was still the hope of getting to real safety. She also found some security in the fact that Flik had considered her in his plans. Although she was clearly no mercenary or strategist, it seemed like he wasn't going to abandon her just yet.

The pair continued talking about the plans that had been made until Ariel was completely up to date with the situation. She asked questions where she was confused, and Flik for the most part managed to keep the patronising tone from his answers. He was obviously more used to dealing with generals and military personnel, so Ariel didn't kick up a fuss. They were all stresed and exhausted. She went to bed that night feeling slightly more secure than she had before, knowing that at least they weren't simply sitting and waiting, that plans were in place, and most of all, that she still wasn't completely alone.

But all of that disappeared as she woke, her rest interrupted by a blood-curdling scream.


End file.
